Grenache Rose from Yesteryear?

The first wine I ever tasted was half a century ago as a college girl, back when almost no one was trying to be a connoisseur. It was Almaden grenache rose, our standard picnic and date wine, and it tasted just fine to me.

A frequent date format was this: Late in the afternoon, the guy would pick up some Chinese takeout (including everyone's favorites -- fried shrimp and egg rolls) and the couple would head up to Skyline Boulevard, above what is now Silicon Valley in the Bay Area. There they would find a nice grassy slope looking out at the ocean, spread out a blanket and eat and drink while watching the sun go down.

I've had a fond place in my heart for that wine ever since, but I think Almaden stopped making it eons ago.

Bill, I assume you took a look at the site. Tuck is Andy's son. When we owned our shop we sold a lot of his 75 Wine Company Cab, from Lake County property (at least it was then) that Andy and his other son had done extensive surveying of prior to purchasing. It appears to also contain some Napa fruit these days.

Hogwash is Grenache from Mendocino and Paso Robles. Maybe not on the level of a Beckman, but a solid value.

The old Alamden grenache rose (which I enjoyed as well, "studying" in grad school) is, if I remember correctly, really a simple quaffer, with some sweet fruit and clean acid. And inexpensively not pretending to Tavel-hood. I'd think a La Petite Ferme Cotes du Ventoux mag, or a Spanish garnacha rosado (Navarra, say) or even Rioja rosado (Caceres), a Bardolino chiaretto or Portuguese rose would so fine. I think the more serious and steely gris roses would miss the mark here.

Mateus and Lancers - talk about a serious blast from the past. Thank you! :)

Oh, & for similar wines to your Almaden Grenache Rose, you might also want to try some White Zinfandels. They may be a touch dryer, but can be very nice wines - especially well-chilled on a hot summer day.

I didn't-- one of the zins was NOT Gallo, and about 10 euros -- but I didn't recognize the label (can't remember now what it was) -- and I just couldn't bring myself to do it, not least because well....red zin is a little too big for summer, and I'm not about to buy Grenache Rose when there's a dozen AOC roses sitting on the next shelf...

I have never had the wine that you mention, however, check out the grenache rose from Curran. It is absolutely delicious, and Kris makes some killer wines! The grenache blanc is worth checking into as well! -mJ

Try Red Guitar Old Vine Rose from Spain and see what you think. It is a grenache rose, inexpensive, and sounds like it may meet your criteria. I have had this and it is an acceptable summer sipping wine.